Kids Will Follow Example Set

[Adam's Apple]

Thought this was an interesting article. I know some kids who did exactly the opposite of what their parents did when they become adults.


Parents Must Lead by Example
By Ruben Navarrette, Jr., San Diego-Union Tribune
May 11, 2005

My daughter is still an infant, but when the time comes, I think I'll be strong enough to set the rules. What worries me is whether I'll be willing to set the example.

That's the key, according to Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner. Co-authors of "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything," Levitt and Dubner are interested in, well, everything. That includes the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, in which the U.S. Department of Education surveyed parents about family activities and tracked the progress of more than 20,000 schoolchildren from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Levitt and Dubner concluded that some things matter when raising children – and others don't. They are not fond of "culture cramming," the tendency of some parents to schedule trips to the museum or stock up on educational tapes or limit the watching of television. They insist that those things don't always make a difference. What does make a difference is whether those parents are well educated, attend PTA meetings and have a good income. In the case of foreigners, it also makes a difference if they speak English in the home.

As Levitt and Dubner wrote in a recent op-ed article for USA Today, "Parenting technique is highly overrated. ... It's not so much what you do as a parent, it's who you are." And a big part of who you are is your own life experience and the example you set for your children.

For full article:
Can't get the URL to work. If you are interested in this story go to
http://www.signonsandiego.com. Then do a search for Ruben Navarrette, Jr. Should be about the 7th or 8th listing for Navarrette.

 

[Joz]

Children emulate their parents, when they're little. Teaching by example is the best teacher. Too many parents have the "do as I say, not as I do attitude".
But as we near adulthood, we can see that some of those things we saw our parents do were not necessarily good and we try to change that influence. And sometimes it's a life-long battle.

 

[dilloduck]

Children emulate their parents, when they're little. Teaching by example is the best teacher. Too many parents have the "do as I say, not as I do attitude".
But as we near adulthood, we can see that some of those things we saw our parents do were not necessarily good and we try to change that influence. And sometimes it's a life-long battle.

I'm hiding my intelligence from my kid so I will always be smarter than him !